CHURCH bosses are begging parents to dig deep into their pockets to improve crumbling Roman Catholic schools across the region.

Begging letters - asking parents of 70,000 children to stump up £18 for every child they have at any of the 211 catholic primary and secondary schools within the Diocese of Salford - have been sent to thousands of parents across Greater Manchester.

And headteachers have been told that where parents are unable to meet the request - or refuse - they will be expected to meet the shortfall from their own school coffers.

The controversial move is part of an attempt by Diocese education chiefs to raise the £1.3m they need if they are to take full advantage of government grants, designed to improve the condition of school buildings.

But the request has been criticised by some parents, who are reluctant to foot the bill and by some headteachers who are already struggling to balance their own budgets.

"Governors and headteachers are all unhappy about imposing this charge, particularly as parents already get charged for things like school trips," said Liberal Democrat councillor Alison Firth, a governor at St Cuthbert's RC Primary School, in Withington. "If you have two or three children the charges mount up.

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"Some schools are fundraising to bridge the gap, but we have had instruction from the diocese that the schools must make up the gap if parents don't pay."

To access the government cash, voluntary-aided schools have to raise 10 per cent of the building costs themselves.

But, whereas, in the past, the diocese has raised the necessary funds from collections in parish churches, the need to raise a larger amount of money - combined with dwindling and ageing congregations - has forced church leaders to look at alternative fund-raising. Martin Lochery, assistant director of education for the Salford Diocese, says around 192 schools have already indicated they will be able to raise the amount set by the diocese.

At St Peter's RC High School, in Gorton, more than half of the 900 youngsters are eligible for free school meals, because their family incomes are low. And that may explain why less than half the parents have so far failed to agree to stump up the £18.

St Peter's head John McNerney could be faced with a demand to add thousands of pounds to make up for those parents who can't pay. However, he says: "I think this is a necessary idea in response to the way things have changed.

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